A star of his time: Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt first appeared in Weimar in 1841. He then lived and worked in the town for eleven years as a virtuoso pianist, conductor, composer, teacher and music impresario. Between 1848 and 1861 he turned Weimar into a centre of music that was the envy of Europe. Liszt left Weimar in 1861 to live in one of his many other homes. Liszt's house can still be seen in the Park on the Ilm. He used it from 1869 onwards during his stays in Weimar. In 2011 Weimar is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of this great composer with an extensive anniversary programme. Read more

The epitome of high culture: Weimar Classicism

The place where Goethe once strolled, Schiller penned his plays and Herder preached his sermons: Weimar still attracts those seeking the highest levels of enlightenment. The term Weimar Classicism refers to the creative period of Goethe and Schiller, two writers who were also close friends, from 1794 until Schiller's death in 1805. Visitors on a cultural pilgrimage to this near sacred site of German classical literature will enjoy a trip to the German National Theatre. In front of the theatre, where the Weimar Republic was founded in 1919, Goethe and Schiller look down from the plinth of their famous statue. Read more

Strong stuff indeed: Weimar's 'Onion Fair'

Weimar's history comes to life for three days over the second weekend in October. The legendary Zwiebelmarkt or 'Onion Fair', a tradition dating back to 1653, attracts almost 400,000 visitors every year to Weimar's historical old quarter to celebrate well into the night. There's no escape from the onions – whether it's in soup, hung in braids as ornamentation or baked in a flan. Around 500 performers pull out all the stops, and there are almost as many stalls selling arts and crafts, food and drink.

Beautiful views: Belvedere Palace

This splendid baroque palace stands on a hill just outside the city centre. Built between 1724 and 1732 for Duke Ernst August von Saxe-Weimar, it is a vision in Schönbrunn yellow comprising a dominant central section with a small observation tower and two side pavilions with domed roofs. Inside, Weimar Art Collections has established a rococo museum in the magnificent rooms. Exhibits include porcelain, faience earthenware, furniture, jewellery and 18th century paintings. The palace was used by Duchess Anna Amalia between 1756 and 1775 as an eminently stately summer residence.

Buchenwald Memorial Site

Buchenwald near Weimar bears powerful testimony to the Nazi atrocities and the history of extremism in the 20th century.

The memorial site offers various information facilities and tours, and visitors can explore the historical buildings, remnants and monuments as well as four permanent exhibitions: 'The Buchenwald Concentration Camp 1937-1945', 'Means of Survival – Testimony – Artwork – Visual Memory' (art exhibition), 'Soviet Special Camp No. 2, Buchenwald 1945-1950' and 'The History of the Buchenwald Memorial'.

Opening times:

summer: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm; winter: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm

Bauhaus Museum

With over 300 exhibits, the Bauhaus Museum gives an insight into the evolution of the Bauhaus at the very place where it originated, Weimar.

The Bauhaus, established in Weimar in April 1919, remains Germany's most influential and successful cultural export of the 20th century. Many of the pioneering ideas which were conceived by the Bauhaus school had their origins in Weimar. The museum's temporary home, until a permanent location can be found, is the Kulissenhaus.

Opening times:

daily 10am-6pm, closed on Tuesdays

Goethe National Museum

Goethe is as relevant today as he has always been. That is evident from the exhibition at the Goethe National Museum in Weimar.

The exhibition, which portrays the writer's extraordinary life, presents Goethe as an embodiment of the modern age that was emerging around 1800. Eleven rooms illustrate the many sides to Goethe, reaching far beyond his literary achievements – from his political role as a statesman and his talent for drawing through to his botanical expertise. The exhibition draws on an unparalleled stock of priceless original artefacts.